Card display apparatus



OC- 17, 1933- H. G. MuTscHLER El' AL 1,930,820

CARD DI SPLAY APPARATUS Filed June 2l, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TORJ By #Elf L/ rM/fff? A om' 0d- 17, 1933- H. G. MuTscHLER Er AL 1,930,820

CARD DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed June 2l, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO Y' Patented ct. 17, 1933 UNITE STATES 17,930,820 CARI) DISPLAY APPARATUS Henry G. Mutschler, Rochester, N. Y., and Harry Whittaker, Montreal, Quebec, Can-ada Application June 21, 1932. Serial No. 618,5180

Claims.

This invention relates to an intermittently moving card display apparatus and has for its object to provide a simple operating mechanism' for such an apparatus.

5. Another object of the invention is to provide the apparatus with simple means for the insertion and removal of the display cards.

These and other objects of the invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed i0 description of the invention which follows, reierence being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the card display apparatus. Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View of the apparatus taken on the line 2-2 oi Figure l. y Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail top plan View of the ope '20 erating dog of the apparatus, its mounting and a portion of the cam which moves it out of engagement from the display cards. Y

Figure 5 is a similar View of the operating dog as it appears when it is held to move one of the display cards.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional View of the central section of the trough in which the display cards are shifted from one side to the other of the apparatus.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of a tcp of the apparatus.

Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of the top of the apparatus illustrated in Figure '7. y

In the several ngures of the drawings like ref-V erence numerals indicate like parts.

The intermittently moving card display apparatus forming the subject matter of this invention is especially adapted for use in taxicabs, street cars, busses or any other publie vehicle and 40. may be operated either by a separate motor or by a suitable connection between one of operating parts of the vehicle and the driving shaft of the apparatus. The display apparatus may also be used on display counters, display windows or in public places, in which case the apparatus is provided with a suitable electric motor which operates it continuously or during predetermined periods.

As illustrated in the figures the apparatus comprises a suitable frame work made up of the vertical ends 1 and 2, the bottom member' 3 and the top member 30. The bottom member preferably comprises an inverted channel having outwardly flaring iianges 5 and 6. These anges have at the ends of the bottom member the portionA of the (Cl. L10m-36) bearing plates 7 and 8 attached thereto which in turn are fastened to the vertical ends 1 and 2' of the frame to support the bottom member between them. Supported on top of the bottom member 3 and suitably fastened thereto is the 60. trough 9, the sides of which overhang the sides of the inverted channel-shaped bottom member so as to provide a horizontal channel l0 on each side of the bottom member 3.

In the bearing plate 7 and the end of the 65 trough 9, which is located above it, are formed suitable bearings in which the driving shaft ll is mounted to rotate. This shaft carries the sprocket gear 12 which is keyed thereto between the bearing plate 7 and the under side of the 70` end of the trough V9. Similarly in the bearing plate 8 and the end oi the trough 9 which overhangs it are provided suitable slots 13 into which engage the ends of the pivot stud lll with its supporting block 15 located between the bottom 75 of the end of the trough 9 and the top or" the bearing plate 8. On the pivo't stud 14 is mounted to rotate another sprocket gear 16. An endless sprocket chain 17 travels thru the channel 10, l0 on therunder side of the trough 9 from 80 one of the sprocket gears to the other. The supporting block 15 which carries the pivot pin for the sprocket gear 16 has the tightening screw 18 threaded thereinto. This screw is mounted to` rotate in a cross member 19 of the end 2 of the 85 framerand on the rotation thereof the supporting block 15 may be moved endways to either tighten or loosen the sprocket chain traveling over the sprocket gears.

On each side or the trough 9 is provided a cam 90` bar 20 and 21 respectively. The cam bars are supported bythe end members l and 2 of the frame kand are bent to provide a guide groove 22 yclose to the trough 9 along side one half or" the length of the trough and a continued guide groove 23 spaced from the trough 9 along side the other half or the troughon each side thereof as illustrated in Figure 2. The spaced guide grooves 23 have their inside formed by the bars 24 which are fastened to the sides of the trough 100 9 which, at this point, is cut away to have the bow springs 25 project thereinto, The bow springs 25 have one end thereof anchored between the bars 24 and the sides of the trough 9 while the other end is free to move back and forth between them in order to permit these springs to be bent on the movement of the display cards from one end of the trough to the other.

Located within the trough9 in the middle thereof are a pair of spring pressed boltsy 26 and 110 27. These bolts are mounted in a sleeve 28 suitably anchored in the bottom of the trough and are forced outwardly therefrom against the inside of the trough by an expansion spring 29 which is placed between the inner ends of the bolts within the sleeve 28. A space great enough toallow one or the display cards to pass therethru is left between each end of the sleeve 28 and the inside of the trough and into these spaces project the bolts 26 and 27. Gne side of each of these bolts is inclined in the direction in which the display cards move from one end ci the trough to the other so that when these cards are forced from one side of the apparatus to the other, they force the bolts into the sleeve and hold them therein until the card has passed the bolt. The bolts thus keep in frictional contact with the cards in their travel from one side of the apparatus to the other. After the card has passed the bolt 26, the expansion spring behind it forces it out of the sleeve in back or" the card to keep it locked in the side into which it has been moved until it is moved back at the back or" the apparatus. The bolt 26, which operates on the card, which is moved from lett to right at the front of the apparatus, has its outer end inclined to the right and the bolt 27, which operates on the card in the back of the apparatus when it is moved back from right to left, is inclined to the left.

The top of the apparatus is ormed by an inverted trough 30 which is suitably supported between the ends l and 2 of the frame. The side or" this inverted trough, which faces the front of the apparatus, is cut away and in place of it are hinged near each end thereof the flanges 3l and 32. These flanges meet in the middle of the apparatus and are normally held together in line with each other by the spring pressed yoke 33. This yoke is mounted on a pin supported on top of the inverted trough 30, and an expansion spring 35, which surrounds the pin and rests on the yoke, normally holds Vthe yoke with one end overhanging one side of the trough and with the other end overhanging the ends of the flanges 31 and 32. When it is desired to swing the flanges away from the top, the yoke 33 is raised and turned to rest with its ends on the top in order to allow the flanges to swing away as illustrated in Figure 7.

The display cards are preferably mounted in a suitable holder and a series of them are placed on each side of the apparatus, one behind the other between the trough 9 at the bottom and the inverted trough 30 at the top. In the bottom trough the cards are held compressed together by the bow spring 25 and at the top the cards are held compressed together by a similar bow spring 36. Each side of the troughs may be filled with the display cards leaving only suiicient room on each side so that a display card from one side can be transferred to the other side. In transferring, the cards are moved in front of the bow springs which tends to straighten them out as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2.

The shifting or transferring of the cards is done by the dog 40 which is carried by the short swinging arm 41. This arm is pivoted on one of the links 42 o the endless sprocket chain 17 and projects outwardly therefrom. The dog comprises a vertical member which is adapted to project up thru the guide grooves 22 and 23 formed between the outside of the trough 9 and the cam bars 20 and 21. At the top, the vertical member is bent inwardly so as to project over the edgeI of the bottom trough 9 and engage behind the outermost display card as the dog is drawn by' the chain into and thru the guide groove 22. At the end of the guide groove 22 the dog is moved away from the trough by the angular connection between the guide groove 22 and the guide groove 23 and is held away and disengaged troni the outermost display card during its travel thru the guide groove 23. In this way a display card is picked up by the dog in front of the apparatus at the left hand side thereof as it travels from left to right and forces this display card past the spring pressed bolt 26 into the right hand side of the apparatus where the dog disengages itself from the card and `moves around to the back of the apparatus and picks up a display card at the back in the right hand side of the apparatus and moves it to the left past the spring pressed bolt 2'7 to the back of the left hand side of the apparatus. In this way the display cards are consecutively and intermittently shifted from one side of the apparatus to the other and at the front of the apparatus display the advertisement, legend or picture contained thereon.

A suitable housing 50, indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3, encases the apparatus so that only the display cards are visible as they are shifted from one side to the other.

For the purpose of adjustably locking the pivot pin supporting member l5 in the desired position in which the proper tension is placed on the chaink 14, a supplemental supporting member 15A is located below the bearing plate 8 and has the set screw 18A threaded therein. The end of this set screw is adapted to rest against the cross member 19 of the frame and forms an adjustable stop for the pivot pin supporting member.

We claim:

1. In a card display apparatus the combination of a frame, a continuously moving endless chain mounted to travel from one end to the other oi said frame, a supporting trough overhanging the sides of said chain for supporting and guiding the cards above the chain, an inverted trough Jfor collectively embracing the tops of said cards supported in said supporting trough, a swinging arm carried by said endless chain and projecting outwardly therefrom, a dog carried by said swinging arm and projecting upwardly on the outside of said supporting trough and inwardly over the top thereof, a pair of spring pressed latches mounted intermediate of said trough and yieldingly engaging opposite sides thereof, each of said latches having an angular side angular in the direction of movement of said endless chain to permit a card moved by said dog to force one of said latches inwardly and hold it inwardly during the movement of the card from one end of the trough to the other.

2. In a card display apparatus the combination of a frame, a continuously moving endless chain mounted to travel from one end to the other of said frame, a supporting trough overhanging the sides of said chain for supporting and guiding the cards above the chain, an inverted trough for collectively embracing the tops of said cards supported in said supporting trough, a swinging arm carried by said endless chain and projecting outwardly therefrom, a dog carried by said swinging arm and projecting upwardly on the outside of said supporting trough and inwardly over the top thereof, a pair of spring pressed latches mounted intermediate of said trough and yieldingly engaging opposite sides thereof, each or said latches having an angular side angular in the direction of movement of said endless chain to permit a card moved by said dog' to force one of said latches inwardly and hold it inwardly during the movement of the card from one end of the trough to the other, a pair of spring members on the inside of the trough one on each side of Said spring pressed latches and on opposite sides of the trough to shift the cards from one side of the trough to the other in their movement from one end of the trough to the other and hold the outermost of the cards at one end of the trough out of line with the outermost card at the other end of the trough on each side thereof to permit the outermost card at one end of the trough to be shifted by said dog to the other end without interference by the outermost card at the other end of the trough.

3. In a card display apparatus including a supporting and guiding trough, an endless chain and a dog carried by said chain to movr,A cards from one end of the trough to the other end thereof, the combination of an inverted trough collectively embracing the upper ends of the cards supported in said supporting trough, a pair of removable sides provided on said inverted trough to permit the cards to be released therefrom for the withdrawal of said cards and locking means for locking and holding said removable sides in line with the inverted trough to hold said cards in place in said inverted trough.

4. In a card display apparatus including a supporting trough and means for shifting cards from one end of the trough to the other thereof, the combination of an inverted trough collectively embracing and guiding the top of said cards, one side of said inverted trough being divided in the middle with the outerend's ofthe divided sides mounted to swing at the end of said inverted trough, a spring pressed locking member mounted on top of said inverted trough and normally overhanging the opposing ends of said divided side to hold said sides in line with each other, said spring pressed locking member being adapted to release said ends and permit said sides to swing away from said inverted trough for the withdrawal of the cards from said display apparatus.

5. In a card display apparatus including a supporting trough for supporting a series of cards, a drive shaft mounted to rotate at one end of said trough, a sprocket carried by said drive shaft, a pivot supporting member slidably mounted at the opposite end of said supporting trough, a pivot pin carried by said pivot supporting member and a sprocket mounted to rotate on said pivot pin, an endless chain traveling over said sprockets from one end of the trough to the other end thereof, a pair of set screws threaded thru said pivot supporting member from opposite sides thereof parallel to each other, a frame member Xed with relation to said supporting trough, one of said set screws being rotatably mounted in said fixed frame member to move-said pivot supporting block in one direction on the rotation thereof, and the other of said set screws having its end engaging said xed frame member to limit the movement of said pivot supporting block by said rst set screw and jointly hold said pivot supporting block with its pivot pin in a vertical position at the end of said supporting trough. Y

HENRY G. MUTSCHLER. HARRY WHIT'IAKER. 

